CDWP yet to approve Role Back Malaria programme

By: Fozia Azam | Published: April 25, 2008

ISLAMABAD - The approval of the PC-1 of Role Back Malaria programme is again in doldrums as the PC-1 was expected to get a green signal from the Central Development Working Party meeting that was due on April 26 but has been postponed.
The PC-1 of the programmes from various sectors are presented for approval in the CDWP meeting and Role Back Malaria programme was the only one from health sector to be presented and discussed in the meeting.
The Health Ministry has submitted PC-1 of five-year programme worth of Rs 658 million as Role Back Malaria programme is already in shortage of funds.
In 2002 Rs 273 million were given to the five-year programme from 2002 to 2007, and currently the programme is going through severe financial problems.
For last three years the Health Ministry is trying to get approval of the Role Back Malaria PC-1 but not to avail. Unfortunately, due to the lack of political leadership the programme can never achieve a high profile status like other national health programmes.
To put Role Back Malaria programme on a strong footing, an aid wroth Rs of 23 million has been approved from the Global Fund. The signing ceremony is expected in May 2008.
Today (Friday) the first-ever Malaria Day is being observed all over the globe as well as in Pakistan.
In the last meeting of the World Health Assembly held in Geneva it was decided to declare April 25 as World Malaria Day.

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